Has your doctor ever told you to get more exercise? Has your spouse ever suggested you eat healthier? Even though the advice comes from good intentions, most people feel defensive when confronted with suggestions that point out their weaknesses. However, self-affirmation can help you see otherwise threatening messages as valuable and self-relevant. That’s the finding… Continue reading Self-Affirmation Takes the Sting Out of Hard-to-Hear Health Advice
Category: Medical Care
Is Your Doctor Googling You?
Because social media is becoming more important in modern medical practice, researchers are calling for updated guidelines on when it is ethical to Google a patient. “As time goes on, Googling patients is going to become more and more common, especially with doctors who grew up with the Internet,” says Maria J. Baker, associate professor… Continue reading Is Your Doctor Googling You?
Hospital Report Cards Have No Impact on Surgery Outcomes
If you’re an older person having a major operation these days, it is very likely that your hospital is receiving a “report card” on their performance. These reports are designed to prompt hospitals to improve in areas where they perform poorly. Unfortunately, those “report cards” do not seem to be making things better for patients.… Continue reading Hospital Report Cards Have No Impact on Surgery Outcomes
Spinal Surgery Can Help Patients Over 80
Patients over 80 can still benefit from spinal surgery, according to a new study. The finding has broad significance, since the U.S. population age 80 and older is increasing rapidly, with a jump of 22 percent between 2000 and 2010. Along with that goes an increase in the number of patients with acute spinal conditions.… Continue reading Spinal Surgery Can Help Patients Over 80
Better Assessment Needed Before Diagnoses
An examination of process measures endorsed by the National Quality Forum finds that these measures focus predominantly on management of patients with established diagnoses, and that quality measures for patients presenting symptoms often do not reflect the most common reasons patients seek care, according to a study published in the February 3rd 2015 issue of… Continue reading Better Assessment Needed Before Diagnoses
Are Online Hospital Ads Ethical?
In a commentary piece published in January 2015 JAMA Internal Medicine, Carnegie Mellon University’s Alex John London and the University of Pittsburgh’s Yael Schenker question the impact of hospital advertisements that are available online. London and Schenker argue that while the Internet offers patients valuable data and tools – including hospital quality ratings and professional… Continue reading Are Online Hospital Ads Ethical?
The Test Every Baby Boomer Should Take
It’s important to know what health tests and screenings you should take. Most of us are aware for the need for timely mammograms and colonoscopies, but there’s another test that every Baby Boomer should consider taking – the test for hepatitis C. Here, the experts from the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) tell you… Continue reading The Test Every Baby Boomer Should Take
Bobbi Kristina and Her Family’s Ultimate Decision
By Monica Williams-Murphy, MD Just three short years after the world mourned the shocking death of Whitney Houston, her daughter’s life hangs in the balance. Bobbi Kristina, 21, the daughter of Houston and singer Bobbi Brown, has been in a coma since Jan. 31, when she was found face down in a bathtub in her… Continue reading Bobbi Kristina and Her Family’s Ultimate Decision
Antibiotic for UTI + Diuretic = Risk of Death in Older Patients
The combination of the antibiotic trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, frequently prescribed for urinary tract infections, with the diuretic spironolactone, widely used for heart failure, more than doubles the risk of death for older patients, reports a study published in February 2015 in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). A release from CMAJ notes that more than 20 million prescriptions… Continue reading Antibiotic for UTI + Diuretic = Risk of Death in Older Patients
Choosing the Right Doctor for You
Editor’s Note: You might be looking for a new doctor for any number of reasons – you’ve moved, for example, or your doctor has retired. Here, from the National Institute on Aging, are some strategies to help make the search more productive and easier: Types of Primary Care Doctors Your primary care doctor is the… Continue reading Choosing the Right Doctor for You
Progress in Fighting Diseases of Aging?
Scientists have found a new way to increase the length of human telomeres, protective caps on chromosomes that have been linked to aging and disease. The researchers, from the Stanford University School of Medicine, said the cells treated with the new method behave as if they are much younger than untreated cells. Thanks to the… Continue reading Progress in Fighting Diseases of Aging?
Patient’s Age Isn’t A Factor in Ear Surgery
A patient’s age isn’t a factor in a procedure to improve the quality of a cochlear implant, according to researchers from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. The finding was published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. According to a news release from the university, a cochlear implantation improves speech perception, but a… Continue reading Patient’s Age Isn’t A Factor in Ear Surgery
Discharge Summaries and Hospital Readmissions
Good discharge summaries for heart-failure patients can make the difference between a quick recovery and hospital readmission, according to Yale School of Medicine researchers. The findings were published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. A discharge summary is designed to help outside physicians understand what happened to patientsi n the hospital, but in reality, it’s… Continue reading Discharge Summaries and Hospital Readmissions
Nurses Can Ease Shortage of Health-Care Workers
University of Missourui researchers say that the shortage of health care workers can be relieved by allowing Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) to perform primary-care dugies. Many states don’t allow APRNs to perform these duties to their “full potential,” according to a university news release. But these nurses could expand access to care for underserved… Continue reading Nurses Can Ease Shortage of Health-Care Workers
Hospitals Seldom Share Info on Quality of Home Care Providers
When patients are discharged from hospitals, case manager rarely share full information about home health agencies, even though state and federal quality reports are readily available. That’s the finding of a Brown University study published in January 2015 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. A release from the university written by David Orenstein quotes… Continue reading Hospitals Seldom Share Info on Quality of Home Care Providers
From The Desk of Dr. Nash: Sometimes “Sorry” Is All It Takes
In my administrative role, I have the great pleasure of signing thank you letters to patients and family members who have acknowledged the great care they have received by one of our physicians or other caregivers. It is a nice way to tell the patient “we got your note” and to simultaneously recognize the provider… Continue reading From The Desk of Dr. Nash: Sometimes “Sorry” Is All It Takes
Predicting Superbugs’ Countermoves to New Drugs
With drug-resistant bacteria on the rise, even common infections that were easily controlled for decades such as pneumonia or urinary tract infections are proving trickier to treat with standard antibiotics.New drugs are desperately needed, but so are ways to maximize the effective lifespan of these drugs. To accomplish that, Duke University researchers used software they… Continue reading Predicting Superbugs’ Countermoves to New Drugs
Doctors Measured on Patient Care
Researchers now have a concrete tool to evaluate whether doctors are giving good “patient-centered care” – i.e. taking their patients’ perspectives into account. Experts from the University of Missouri worked with real patients to determine a list of behaviors that would prove whether physicians were providing patient-centered care. Students at the university’s medical school are… Continue reading Doctors Measured on Patient Care